first shotgun for youngster

[shakey jake]

got to agree with baguio id gues 5 2 maybe and about 6 stone soaking wet a 12 is alot of gun. have you considered a semi auto in 20 if its for clays or rough shooting the action will take some recoil

 

[freid]

I had a great little aya box lock 28bore - great gun but as pointed out with checking cartridge availability.

 

[Dogmac]

My 9 year old son shoots a revo o/u 410 has done for 2 years now.Started off with 11 gram cartridges up to 16 grams on game,last season he managed his first rabbit, teal, mallard,wigeon,woodcock and pheasant ( very proud father)We do a fair amount of clay shooting off season which he is very good, with practice the 410 is a very effective gun.

I started of with a 28 bore moved upto 12 bore then came back down to a 20 bore which I used for years I regret selling it , the wife tried one at the clays and very much prefered it to the 12 bore, so may be treating her to one for her birthday.

 

[McKenzie]

got to agree with baguio id gues 5 2 maybe and about 6 stone soaking wet a 12 is alot of gun. have you considered a semi auto in 20 if its for clays or rough shooting the action will take some recoil

I hate seeing a semi-auto in the hands of a novice unless they're standing in a clays cage & the instructor hands the beginner the gun, the shot is taken then it's handed back to the instructor. Safety must be the most important lesson & for this I like to see a single barrel gun that is only capable of firing one shot. Novices get excited when they hit a clay & often turn around to make sure that you saw it too, pointing an unbroken gun at your waist (with their finger still on the trigger); nice to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's empty before you remind them about muzzle awareness. I think it's fairer on both parties.

 

[danban]

Totally agree. A newbie should be passed the gun also never start with an auto

 

[jubnut]

The lad is under 5" tall though (not 5' 8 or 5' 9) and at 9 years old will not be strong enough to handle a 12 gauge safely! I have no idea why using a 28 or 20 gauge is anything other than sensible? Plenty of adults use 20 & 28 gauges and do very well with them. They certainly have plenty of advantages over 12 gauges when out in the field!
Starting a kid of 9 with a 12 gauge is crazy and will do them no favours IMO!

********.

How heavy are these 12 guage you guys are using? You do realise that you don't have to load them with the heaviest cartridges you can find.

I say again. I have a photo of myself at 8 years old, side by side baikal 12g beside me in a dinghy with my first Wigeon, and I had been shooting for longer than that.

Neither was it crazy or too much gun.

My cousins are just getting into it, although a little older are shooting 12g too.

Maybe myself and my family are superhuman?

 

[Heym SR20]

i started my daughter with an ward actioned single barrel 410. and she now shoots a little double 410 with far too much proficiency for my liking.

 

[shakey jake]

you can load just one in an auto sorry if ive scared people but i cant see the diference between 1 cartridge in a singel or an auto i assumed the lad would be under very close supervision

 

[welshwarrior]

There is a gun made for this task now a Yildiz tk36 single barrel 410 shorten the stock and barrel ideal starter gun for young kids and 9 is young.

If you find a rare single 28 bore there are great as well and 20 or 12 will be to heavy a OU 410 or 28 likely to be the same for a little while also.

 

[NorthDorset]

Thanks for the replies. I'm 6ft in height and the tops of my son's head is near level to my shoulder. He has shot a 223 already. He also has a number of rabbits to his name already with my hmr. I was thinking 20 bore with light loads. Was going to borrow my friends sbs 20 bore and try him on that

There is no way for him to have done this legally Tikka. You cannot legally lend a firearm to a 9 year old, even under your supervision.

My boy is 10 and all of my guns are too heavy for him.

By 12 my girls were starting on 20 bores and had SGC at 14 the eldest had an FAC.

I was a solidly built 9 year old when my Dad bought me an air rifle. I can tell you it took me a year of practising every day to build the muscles to shoot it (and cock it) My 12 year olds took 6 months to build the musculature to free hand a gun without bending backwards like a bow.

As an instructor I can tell you that if it's too hard for them they lose interest quickly at that age.

 

[johnandersonm777]

28 bore would be great but you may use 20 bore.

 

[wanderer]

Try and borrow one onto your ticket. Perhaps a 410.
An old Webley bolt action is what I started with all those years ago which my Dad borrowed off a mate (no mucking about with putting it on your certificate in those days..)
Best to start with a shotgun low on kick.

 

[Ben1212]

.410 will be ideal. It will still be useful even when they decide to move up to a 20/12g.

 

[The deer man]

I started my son on a single barreled .410 then on his eighth birthday got him a o/u .410.
He's now been shooting a 28 bore for the last year and a half from age 12.
He's still shooting the 28 bore better than most adults shoot a 12. Although he's happy to use a 12 whats the point when the 28 does so well?!
There's no doubt that starting kids on a small calibres makes them very accurate shooters and not just because they have to be but because they are at that age quicker and generally have much better eyesight.

Try him first on a o/u 410 and 28 bore and see how he gets on with both, then choose. Whats the rush he's only nine!
I have a 410 Yildiz Youth for sale on here in the Classifieds but I would test him on both first before you make any decision. As for a 12 bore for a nine year old, it's possible my son shot mine at nine and refused to shoot it again until this year!